Jill's Posts

I went on it after my HR shot up to 140 for several days. Oddly enough at the same time I had a severe rash and skin itching all over my body two weeks after my mitral valve repair surgery on August 10th. My local cardiologist suggested amiodarone - 800 mg for the first 10 days then 200 mg per day for the next month. My skin rash and itching went away after a week and after being on amiodarone for 10 day I took myself off the medicine since it was affecting my sight and lungs and my HR has been back to the 75-80 range. Amiodarone can be very toxic - be careful how you use it.

I had a brief episode of AFib in the hospital, went away after one day, they put me on a low dose for 2 weeks, had the same insomnia, not sure how long it has been for you but can ask your Dr. if you can come off it, I had another 1/2 day bout of AFib at about week four, woke ip with it. Dr gave me a prescription but when it left on its own by noon, he said that I didnt have to take it if I was no longer in AFib, I could assure him that I wasnt because my blood pressure monitor also detects AFib. Good luck

You have to take all of the information that is available to you and determine what is best for you - but attached below is a link to a website that is very anti-amiodarone, If you need to be on amiodarone for Afib - ask your cardiologist if there is an alternative. Sometime Afib can be caused by factors that should not be treated by amiodarone. Here is the link: http://www.amiodaronetoxicity.com/

I'm also on amiodorone ( for 3 months) & it is a powerful & scary drug. I was monitored in the hospital for about 4 days when they started " loading" it, given lots of tests-, and a baseline was established. They were pretty cautious about it which I guess was a little reassuring. And I've had monitoring since, chest xray & pulmonary function. I've had no problems with it, but I look forward to being off it. I had a maze procedure - an ablation- at the same time as my mitral repair, but it takes a few months to heal & be effective, hence the amiodorone. No insomnia though.

I started on amiodorone drip in the hospital when I went a-fib on day two. So far the only problem I had was where the IV line pushed through and it dumped a bunch into my hand. That has all but cleared at this point. Tomorrow I transition from twice a day to once per day dosage.